Lobster à la Lady of Maine
There are four steps: the preparation of the lobsters, of the mussels, of the sauce, and of duchess potatoes.
To cook the lobsters: Remove and crack the claws of 2 live lobsters of 1 3/4 to 2 pounds each. Cut the tail section from the body and cut the tail part crosswise in 3 or 4 slices. Split the body section in two lengthwise and remove the tomalley (liver) and set aside. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons each finely chopped carrots and onion, and sauté all together for a minute or two. Add all the lobster pieces, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little ground pepper and continue cooking, mixing with a spatula, for 5 minutes, or until they start to turn red. Add 2 cups cream, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
To prepare the mussels: Scrub well 4 dozen fresh mussels and put in a kettle with 2 tablespoons chopped shallots (or onion) and a generous 1/2 cup white wine. Cover and steam over a hot fire, shaking them occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they open. Remove from the pan and turn the cooking liquor into the pan with the lobsters. (Before cooking mussels, always discard those that are not tightly closed and after cooking, discard those that did not open. Remove the cooked mussels from their shells, cut off the beards and the little tough, black part on the outside edge. Put the trimmed mussels in a pan to keep warm. Remove the cooked lobsters from the pan, take the meat out and put it in the pan with the mussels.
To make the sauce: Reduce the combined cooking liquors to about 2 cups. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons flour, and blend over medium heat until the mixture starts to turn golden. Add the boiling liquor (strained or not, as desired) from the lobster and mussels, 1 cup at a time, mixing well with a whip. Heat until slightly thickened and continue cooking 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Finish the sauce by stirring in briskly 3 egg yolks mixed with 1/4 cup cream. Crush the tomalley and mix with 1 tablespoon butter creamed with 1/2 teaspoon flour. Do not allow the sauce to boil after adding yolks and tomalley. Correct the seasoning if necessary and add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Arrange a border of duchess potatoes (see GOURMET, January 1949) on a heatproof platter and brown a little in a hot oven or broiler. Mix all but 3 tablespoons sauce with the lobster and mussels and fill the center of the potato border with the mixture. Add 2 tablespoons whipped cream to the remaining sauce, spread over the top of the lobster-and-mussel mixture, and quickly glaze the top in a hot oven or broiler.
In all lobster cookery I advise starting with a green, fresh lobster. By fresh I mean actually alive, able to crawl around on the kitchen table. Those unable to purchase fresh lobsters can, of course, use the frozen or canned products, but the recipes must be adapted accordingly, because then you are using lobster meat. In buying fresh lobsters, the amount depends upon their weight and the way they are to be prepared. As a rule, half a lobster per person is about right. But if you are serving broiled baby lobster (1 to 1 1/4 pounds), many people will appreciate—and expect, in fact—a whole lobster. On the other hand, if you are making a dish which includes a rich sauce and using 1 3/4- to 2-pound lobsters, you can serve six people with 2 lobsters.
As long as a lobster is fresh, there is nothing in it that is harmful, although it is customary to remove and discard the black intestinal line, starting with the little sac in the head. The grayish-white, fringy-looking parts just back of the head are inedible merely because they are too tough to eat. The roe, which turns a bright coral color when cooked, and the tomalley, or liver, which turns green, are particularly delectable, although I've seen many people leave them uneaten. The fish dealer will always split a lobster for broiling if you ask him, but it is easy enough for anyone to do. Place the lobster, right side up, on a board and, using a large, strong, sharp-pointed knife, pierce through the shell at the head. Then cut down through the shell and body to the end of the tail. Turn the two halves over so that the outside is uppermost, keeping the meat, et cetera, intact in the two half shells. In handling a lobster, always pick it up by the body, and it can't nip you even if the plugs have dropped out.
Broiled Lobster
Preheat the broiler about 15 minutes. Split the lobsters, arrange on the broiler pan, cut side up, season with salt and pepper, and spread with a little butter. Broil for 15 to 18 minutes (depending upon size of lobster) and serve with lemon quarters and melted butter.
Many lobster devotees like a simple boiled lobster, served hot with melted butter or cold with mayonnaise. This is the easiest way of preparing them. Plain, salted water may be used or a court-bouillon, the latter giving an added savor.
Homard au Court-Bouillon (Boiled Lobster)
Put 3 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt in a large kettle and bring to the boiling point. Or make a court-bouillon by simmering slowly for 30 minutes 3 quarts water, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 onion, sliced, 1 carrot, sliced, 1 cup vinegar, 10 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs parsley, 1 stalk celery, 1 clove garlic, and a little thyme. Plunge the fresh lobsters into the boiling liquid. If they are to be eaten hot, boil for 20 to 25 minutes, remove from the kettle, split the bodies lengthwise, and crack the claws. Place them cut side up on a serving dish and serve with lemon quarters and melted butter.
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